Motorama car show sparks nostalgia
Exhibits showcase how early drag cars built the sport
There will be something for all race fans at this year’s Motorama Custom Car and Motorsports Expo at Toronto’s International Centre from Friday through Sunday.
While all facets of the sport will be well represented, Canadian drag racing will have some great exhibits. This is the show’s ninth annual appearance and features 330,000 square feet of automotive entertainment.
Presented by Stonebridge Specialty Insurance, the Gulf Race Series Racing Zone will offer a wide range of racing exhibits.
The CASC-OR (Canadian Automobile Sport Clubs-Ontario Region) will feature 10 different race cars for road course events, including kart, F1200 and GT1 cars.
NASCAR Canada will have a strong presence, as will the United Racing Series and its OSCAAR affiliate. Other oval track series on display include the Ontario Sportsman Series, the Great Lakes Legends and the Southern Ontario Modified Association.
Tracks at the show include the speedways of Flamboro, Sauble, Full Throttle, Ohsweken, Peterborough and Sunset. The Shannonville Drags, Toronto Motorsports Park and Bonfield Event Park, along with Canada Heads-Up, will present their 2024 drag racing events.
There will be a nostalgic theme to some of the drag racing exhibits.
Mark Rogerson explains the significance of how the early drag cars built the sport:
“I don’t think people realize the richness and the success of all the world champions and world-renowned designers and builders that came out of these humble beginnings of early drag racing in Ontario,” he said.
Rogerson will display his restored front engine dragster, the Purple People Eater, a 1957 streamliner campaigned by the Galt Stokers. And Andy Marsh, who drove the car in its day, will be on hand.
“We had the car there last year and Andy had a lineup of people, all weekend, talking to him,” said Rogerson.
“He knows the car because he drove the car in that time period, so he has some fantastic stories.”
Two other front engine dragsters will be shown, cars that represent the early years of drag racing and compete in nostalgia races with the Ontario Nostalgia Drag Racers.
It’s been called many names, but Toronto Motorsports Park will celebrate its 70th anniversary in 2024, and TMP will be at the show to talk about where it’s been and where it’s going.
“We’re very proud of our track’s history and its future,” said TMP owner Uli Bieri.
“We have so many experiences and great events available for people who love cars and racing, and we’re looking forward to connecting with many of them at Motorama.”
This year’s Motorama is presented by eBay Motors.
For more information, show times and pricing, go to motoramashow.com.
Canadians at Daytona
This weekend the Daytona 200 will be held at the Florida race facility, the biggest and most influential motorcycle road race in North America.
This year is the 82nd running of the race, which has its roots dating back more than 100 years when racing on the beach eventually gave way to competing at NASCAR’s Daytona International Speedway in 1961.
Canada will be well represented this year with a record 11 Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship riders taking to the Daytona road course, including two-time defending Canadian Cup champ Ben Young from Collingwood.
Several Canadians have won this event, including Hamilton’s Bill Mathew, who rode to victory on the dirt course in 1941 and 1950.
Quebec’s Yvon Duhamel won in 1969, and his son, Miguel Duhamel, won at Daytona five times (1991, 1996, 1999, 2003, 2005) and is tied for most victories on the Speedway’s infield circuit.